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Bossier Parish committee approves state-funded pay supplements for special education teachers
Summary
The finance/policy committee approved state-funded differentiated compensation guidelines to supplement special education teachers: $2,500 for specialty classrooms, $1,500 for inclusion/non-specialty classrooms, and a third category for 'Great' program teachers. Payments will be split into two installments and require no local funding.
District presenter (Speaker 2) told the committee the board is being asked to approve guidelines for state-differentiated compensation targeted to special education teachers, a program now in its third year in the district. "This funding is very specific from the state," Speaker 2 said, and may address one of the state-defined critical shortage areas, including special education.
Under the guidelines presented, the district will propose a $2,500 annual supplement for teachers in specialty special education classrooms (including transition and early childhood special education), paid in two installments (a January payment for the first semester and a June payment for the second). Teachers in inclusion or non-specialty special education classrooms would receive a $1,500 annual supplement, also paid in two installments. A third supplement category would cover teachers in the district's "Great" program for high-need special education students; the presenter described that category as allowable under the state's designation for critical shortage areas but did not state a dollar amount for that category in the presentation.
Speaker 5 noted the money is state-provided and asked for clarification about local funding; Speaker 2 confirmed the differentiated compensation funds are fully state-funded and "will not require any distribution of our locally generated funds." The board discussed which staff would perform administrative duties tied to accommodations and whether the new lead-teacher role shifts burdens to classroom teachers; a district administrator (Speaker 4) answered that classroom teachers remain responsible for accommodations while lead teachers will provide support, IEP help and training for newer teachers.
The committee voted to approve the guidelines by voice and show-of-hands. The motion as recorded in the meeting transcript was "approve the request as specified." The transcript does not include a roll-call tally by name.
Next steps: The policy/guideline language was approved at committee; implementation details (including any eligibility lists for specific schools or exact mechanics for the 'Great' program supplement) were discussed but not specified in the committee record.
